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Friday, September 22, 2006

Saturday's Daily Briefing on Iran

Fox News reported that Ahmadinejad said Annan had told him Iran could ignore a Security Council resolution requiring the country to cease enriching uranium by Aug. 31st. Kofi Annan denied it.

Rafsanjani: There will be no suspension...

Reuters reported that Rafsanjani said that any talk of "(enrichment suspension) is a ridiculous precondition. It is unacceptable."

Islamic Republic Military: US and Israel "falling apart."

YNet News reported that the chief of staff of the Iranian army, General Atallah Salhi, said on Friday that Tehran has detected signs that the "Zionist regime" is falling apart. He added: "and now we saw signs that the American leadership is collapsing."

Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that Secretary of State Rice contradicted her senior counselor, Phillip Zelikow, and assured her Israeli counterpart that America's diplomatic efforts to sanction Iran will not be linked to the peace process.

More on the lawsuit against Khatami.

Karmel Melamed, Jewish Journal reported that in a rare display of unity, a variety of groups within the local Persian Jewish community have joined to voice support for a lawsuit filed against former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Sept. 9 by seven Persian Jewish families in Los Angeles and Israel.

More on Ahmadinejad's meeting with the CFR.

The Wall Street Journalreported that while Hugo Chávez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad put on quite a show at the United Nations this past week, the more important U.N. story this week was the U.N. effort is really about persuading America that it can "live with" an Iranian bomb.

The Guardian reported on Ahmadinejad's meeting with the CFR where he said: "We love everybody around the world: Jews, Christians, Muslims ..." Minutes later he qualified his words: "Zionists are not Jews. Zionists are Zionists."

National Interest interviewed a participant at the meeting of Ahmadinejad and the CFR, Maurice R. Greenberg. He said: "The man… I wouldn't call him nuts. He's not crazy. He's crazy like a fox." Q: So bottom line: In your view, can we do business with him or is it impossible to do so? MRG: "I think it's almost impossible to do business with him as long as he has those views."

Columbia canceled Ahmadinejad's visit.

The New York Sun reported that the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, yesterday withdrew an invitation to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi asked our readers to all of you to take the time to write both Mr. Bollinger and Ms. Judy Jacobson to thank them for their decision.

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

Amir Taheri, The Jerusalem Post reported that having failed to stop war in Iraq, French President Jacques Chirac is determined to prevent a similar fate befalling Iran. "There will be no war against Iran." He also examined the Islamic Republic strategy designed to counter any sanctions.

News Max reported that there is a strong economic incentive behind the U.N. Security Council and Germany's opposition to American calls for sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program - billions of dollars in trade.

Shaheen Fatemi, Iran va Jahan argued that rather than a debate between Ahmadinejad and Bush, there should be a debate between Ahmadinejad and Akbar Ganji.

The New York Times reported that while Iran wants to be a leader in the Islamic world, at home, Iran has often had to labor to unify its own people under one national identity and is not succeeding.

Human Rights Watch reported that the scheduled executions in Iran this week of two juvenile offenders – and their last-minute reprieve – highlight the country’s status as the world leader in juvenile executions.

Glenn McCoy, Townhall published a cartoon: The new and improved Ahmadinejad.